Table 2.
Meta-analysis on the incremental cost of pharmacological interventions for people with dementia
| Type of intervention | Incremental total cost (Intervention group–Control group) a | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| n | Healthcare perspective | n | Societal perspective | |
| (01) Drugs for Alzheimer’s disease | ||||
| Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors | 5 |
MD: 859 (− 150, 1847) SMD: 0.090 (− 0.016, 0.197) |
5 |
MD: -2002 (− 4944, 939) SMD: − 0.109 (− 0.283, 0.064) |
| Memantine | 1b |
MD: − 2283 (− 7874, 3309) SMD: − 0.213 (− 0.736, 0.310) |
2 |
MD: -6322 (− 14,355, 1711) SMD: − 0.328 (− 0.594, − 0.063)* |
| Propentofylline | 1b |
MD: 2171 (1085, 3256) SMD: 0.340 (0.169, 0.512) |
0 | – |
| Combination therapy | 1b |
MD: 970 (− 3568, 5508) SMD: 0.106 (− 0.389, 0.600) |
1b |
MD: − 536 (− 7426, 6353) SMD: − 0.038 (− 0.532, 0.455) |
| (02) Drugs for neuropsychiatric symptoms of dementia | ||||
| Antipsychotics | 3 |
MD: − 574 (− 7141, 5993) SMD: − 0.008 (− 0.211, 0.195) |
0 | – |
| Antidepressants | 2 |
MD: 684 (− 1648, 3015) SMD: 0.091 (− 0.222, 0.404) |
2 |
MD: − 660 (− 4620, 3301) SMD: − 0.041 (− 0.354, 0.272) |
aNegative values based on mean differences (MD) or standardized mean differences (SMD) indicated cost savings in the intervention group compared to the control group
bNo meta-analysis was performed due to insufficient number of studies, and the result was derived from a single study
*P-value < 0.05; **P-value < 0.01; ***, P-value < 0.001